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Unexpectedly Larger Than Life
Lauren Perren is not the typical opera singer.
“I’m a very small person,” she said. “I think it’s that much more shocking to people when I open my mouth and sing, because they’re expecting this tiny little sound to come out.”
This fact is evidenced by the comment that has been written on every adjudication form Lauren can remember from her many vocal competitions over the years: “What a big voice for such a little person.”
Indeed, Lauren’s voice, like her dream, is larger than life.
This Liberty native was born to be a performer. “Music has always been a part of my life,” she said. “I’ve been performing since I was seven years old. I sang my first opera when I was 16.”
For Lauren, opera is much more than the clichés that many people associate with it.
“People always think of the Brünhilde character, with her horns and braids. But opera can be a very intimate art form, and a lot of people can identify with the music,” she said.
As a vocal performance student, Lauren has not only studied the music itself, but she has explored the liberal arts. She speaks French and Italian and is studying German. And she has taken interdisciplinary courses that delve into history, economics, and politics—all so that she can better relate to and understand her characters.
“If you can’t believe your character, your audience isn’t going to believe your character,” she said.
In so doing, Lauren has explored the world of opera, and the world. She even studied abroad in Milan, Italy.
“Nothing compares to that kind of experience – living in the land where the art form was born, with the people who developed it,” she said. “I don’t know of many schools that allow their students the opportunity to study in Milan.”
Halfway across the world in Milan, Lauren was only one degree of separation from Jewell when she had the opportunity to meet the famous tenor Placido Domingo. Another of the famous “Three Tenors,” Luciano Pavaroti, made his international recital debut on Jewell’s campus in 1973 through what is now the Harriman-Jewell Series.
The Harriman-Jewell Series, said Lauren, “is an opportunity unlike anything.”
“As a student, you get a free ticket to see world-renowned singers, instrumentalists, orchestras, and ballets. The seating is incredible – the front-row seats are reserved for Jewell students,” she said. “As someone who wants to be a performer, it’s such a priceless educational experience, because you learn by watching.”
Thanks to the Harriman-Jewell series, what Lauren experienced on campus was no less impressive than her time in Milan. She has sung in master classes with the likes of soprano Joyce DiDonato and tenor Danny Belcher ’92.
And as an intern for the Series, she has received advice – and autographed portraits - from many of the performers.
“A piece of advice that keeps coming up from all the singers I speak to is that your emotion has to be real. And until it’s real, nobody is going to believe you,” she said.
It is safe to say that Lauren’s audiences believe her. After four years of studying opera, she has an impressive resume, which includes multiple opera roles and featured soloist performances with symphony orchestras. She will continue performing over the next year before applying to graduate programs in vocal performance.
But for Lauren, opera is about more than just performing. “Opera isn’t about playing pretend,” she said. “Opera is about being the character.”
A large undertaking for any person, big or small. But Lauren’s up for the challenge.
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